I 



Dr. Traill on American Animals of ike Genus Fdis. 373 



lion nor the tiger (the monarchs of the forest in the Old World) 

 is found in America, it was a favourite dogma with a cele- 

 brated author, that the beasts of prey of the New Continent 

 were inferior in courage and ferocity to those animals ot the 

 Old World, which they most nearly resembled. It is true, 

 that none of the beasts of jirey of America equal in size and 

 power the lion of Africa, or the great tiger of Beiigal : but 

 the jaguar, the puma, and black tiger of South America, equal 

 in courage and ferocity the panther, leopard, and oiica, the 

 animals of die other continents which they approach most 

 nearly in size and habit. 



Buffon and some other writers have described the jaguar 

 and puma as destructive to other quadrupeds, but as cowardly 

 and fleeing from the approach of man. It is now well ascer- 

 tained diat Buffon has confounded the true jaguar of South 

 America with the ocelot, a much smaller and less formidable 

 animal ; and his account of the puma seems to be taken from 

 the descriptions of those who have only seen the animal in the 

 vicinity of human civilization. That eloquent writer has ad- 

 mitted the commanding influence of the experience of human 

 prowess in subduing the courage of even his favourite animal 

 the lion. " A single lion of the desert will frequently attack 

 a whole caravan ; and if, after a violent and obstinate encoun- 

 ter, he experiences fatigue, instead of flying, he retreats fight- 

 ing with a bold front to his pursuers. Those lions, on the 

 contrary, who dwell in the neighbourhood of the towns and 

 villages of India and Barbary, being acquainted with man, 

 and having lelt the power of his weapons, have lost their na- 

 tive courage to such a degree, that they fly from the threaten- 

 ings of his voice, and dare not assail him. Tl.ey content them- 

 sefves with preying on small catde; and will fly before women 

 and children, who make diem indignantly quit their prey, by 

 striking them wiUi clubs." 



Had Buflbn not been trammelled by a ftivounte hypothesis 

 respecting die alleged inferiority of the animal kingdom m 

 America,1ie would have seen diatthe writers who notice die 

 cowardice of die larger beasts of prey of that contnient, only 

 sj)eak of them as observed near European colonies, where 

 their native ferocity has been compelled to acknowledge the 

 superiority of human intellect and arms. Recent observations 

 have shown how ill founded Uiese speculations ot die French 

 naturalist have been. 



Humboldt mentions many instances of die ferocious courage 

 of the great jaguar. Among others, an animal of this species 

 had seized a' horse belonging to a farm in the province of Cu- 



iiiaiia, 



